Supporters flock to Rob Ford's New Year's levee

Toronto — A week before Mayor Rob Ford turns to the courts to save his job, he opened the doors of City Hall for the traditional New Year’s levee.

Hundreds of Torontonians flocked to the rotunda Tuesday afternoon to shake the Mayor’s hand and have their photo taken with him.

Ross Virgin lined up 90 minutes early for an event he “wouldn’t miss in a million years.”

A staunch supporter of the mayor, the 67-year-old handed out flyers thanking Mr. Ford and declaring him the “greatest mayor Toronto has ever had.”

While he appreciates the mayor’s “respect for taxpayers,” he specifically held out praise for Mr. Ford’s efforts to help the city’s youngsters through football.

“He’s not just here to run this city, he’s also looking out for our greatest resource, our kids,” Mr. Virgin said.

The meet-and-greet comes at the end of a tumultuous year for Mr. Ford. Along with transit decisions going against him, Mr. Ford was — and still is — at the centre of a highly-publicized conflict of interest case. On Jan. 7, a court will hear his appeal of an order ousting him from office.

One of the overwhelming sentiments from those in attendance was that he needs encouragement in order to put 2012 in his rear-view mirror.

“I told him to ignore the negativity and keep going, and I could see that he really appreciated that,” said Marshal Dillon, 36. “We crucify these guys, but we should really be supporting them.”

Some showed their support by offering gifts to the mayor — one in particular from Elizabeth and Vincente Vintimilla stole the show.

The Ecuadorian-born couple presented Mr. Ford with a Panama hat before posing for a photo.

The Etobicoke residents, who work for Toronto Community Housing, called Mr. Ford a “very straight guy,” noting that with him at the helm, there has been a significant improvement in the culture surrounding the TCHC.

They said community housing used to be a problem because “nobody knew who the boss was,” but since Mr. Ford took office, he has helped bridge the gap between those in charge and everybody else.

“Right now everybody is equal.” Mr. Vintimilla said as he donned a Mayor Ford pin on his jacket. “He helped fix things for us and for the tenants.”

Mr. Ford, who did not speak to reporters at the event, was joined by more than a dozen councillors who also formed the receiving line, including his brother Doug Ford, TTC chair Karen Stintz and Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday.

“We have an agenda to follow, we have a city to run and we’ll continue to do that, I’m just hoping that there are going to be less distractions this year,” said Mr. Holyday.